''Beau Geste'' is a 1939 American

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

starring Gary Cooper,

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy, and

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...

. Directed and produced by William A. Wellman, the screenplay was adapted by Robert Carson, based on the 1924 novel of the same title by P. C. Wren. The music score was by

Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Acad ...

and cinematography was by

Theodor Sparkuhl Theodor Sparkuhl (October 7, 1894, Hannover, Germany – June 13, 1946, Los Angeles, California) was a German-born cinematographer with 140 movies to his credit. Sparkuhl began his career as a projectionist in 1911. He was trained as a newsreel ca ...

and

Archie Stout Archibald Job Stout (March 30, 1886 – March 10, 1973), ASC was an American cinematographer whose career spanned from 1914 to 1954. He enjoyed a long and fruitful association with John Ford, working as the principal cinematographer on '' Fort ...

Plot

French Foreign Legionnaires approach an isolated fort in the desert. The French flag is flying, but a closer inspection reveals only dead men propped up behind the parapets. However a pair of shots is fired from inside, so the bugler volunteers to scale the wall to investigate. After waiting a while, the commander follows. The bugler has vanished, and the commander finds two bodies that are not staged like the rest and a note on one confessing to the theft of a valuable sapphire called the "Blue Water". After the officer rejoins his men outside, the fort goes up in flames. Fifteen years earlier, Lady Brandon, wife of absent spendthrift Sir Hector Brandon, takes care of the three adopted Geste brothers, "Beau", Digby and John; her ward Isobel Rivers; and heir Augustus Brandon. Years pass, and the children become young adults. They learn that Sir Hector intends to sell the "Blue Water", leaving nothing of value for Lady Brandon. At Beau's request, the gem is brought out for one last look when suddenly the lights go out and it is stolen. All present proclaim their innocence, but first Beau and then Digby depart without warning, each leaving a confession that he committed the robbery. John reluctantly parts from his beloved Isobel and goes after his brothers. John discovers that they have joined the French Foreign Legion, so he enlists as well. They are trained by the sadistic Sergeant Markoff. Legionnaire Rasinoff overhears joking remarks by the Geste brothers, leading him and Markoff to believe that Beau has the gem. Markoff separates the brothers. Beau and John are assigned to a detachment sent to man isolated Fort Zinderneuf. When Lieutenant Martin dies from a fever, Markoff assumes command. Fearing the sergeant's now-unchecked brutality, Schwartz incites the other men to mutiny the next morning; only Beau, John, and Maris refuse to take part. However, Markoff is tipped off by Voisin and disarms the would-be mutineers while they are sleeping. The next morning, Markoff orders Beau and John to execute the ringleaders, but they refuse. Before Markoff can react, the fort is attacked by Tuaregs, forcing him to rearm his men. The initial assault is beaten off, but each new attack takes its toll. Markoff props up the corpses at their posts to deceive the enemy. The final assault is repulsed, but Beau is shot, leaving Markoff and John the only men left standing. Markoff sends John to get bread and wine. He then searches Beau and finds a small pouch and two letters. When John sees what Markoff has done, he draws his bayonet, giving Markoff the excuse to shoot the only witness to his theft. However, Beau is not yet dead and manages to spoil Markoff's aim, allowing John to stab him. John and Beau hear a bugle announcing the arrival of reinforcements, Digby among them. Beau dies in his brother's arms after telling him to take one of the letters to Lady Brandon and leave the other, a confession of the robbery, in Markoff's hand. John escapes unseen. Digby volunteers to find out why there is no response from the fort. He discovers Beau's body and, remembering his childhood wish, gives him a

Viking funeral Norse funerals, or the burial customs of Viking Age North Germanic Norsemen (early medieval Scandinavians), are known both from archaeology and from historical accounts such as the Icelandic sagas and Old Norse poetry. Throughout Scandinavia, the ...

. He places Beau on a cot, with a "dog" (Markoff) at his feet, and sets fire to the barracks. Then he too deserts. He finds John outside the fort. Later, they encounter two American Legionnaire friends and begin the long journey home. Desperate for water, they find an oasis, but it is occupied by Arabs. Digby tricks them into fleeing by sounding a bugle to signal a charge by non-existent Legionnaires, but is killed by a parting shot. John returns home, and reunites with Isobel. Lady Brandon reads aloud Beau's letter, which reveals that as a child he was hiding in a suit of armor and witnessed her selling the "Blue Water". Realizing years later she had replaced it with a fake, he had stolen the faux gem to protect her from being found out - his ‘’beau geste’’.

Cast

* Gary Cooper as Michael "Beau" Geste *

as John Geste * Robert Preston as Digby Geste * Brian Donlevy as Sergeant Markoff *

as Isobel Rivers *

J. Carrol Naish Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (January 21, 1896 – January 24, 1973) was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 credits during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Naish received two Oscar nominations for his supporting roles in the films '' Sahara ...

as Rasinoff * Albert Dekker as Schwartz *

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All t ...

as Hank Miller * Charles Barton as Buddy McMonigal *

James Stephenson James Albert Stephenson (14 April 1889 – 29 July 1941) was a British stage and film actor. He found extraordinarily rapid success in Hollywood after arriving in his late 40s, but he died unexpectedly in his early 50s. Early life Stephenson ...

as Major Henri de Beaujolais, commander of the relief column * Heather Thatcher as Lady Patricia Brandon * James Burke as Lieutenant Dufour *

G. P. Huntley Jr. George P. Huntley Jr. (26 February 1904 – 26 June 1971), born Bruce Timothy Huntley and often credited as G. P. Huntley Jr., was an American film actor. He was the son of stage actor G. P. Huntley, and played alongside Errol Flynn in ''The Charg ...

as Augustus Brandon * Harold Huber as Voisin * Donald O'Connor as Beau as a child * Billy Cook as John as a child * Martin Spellman as Digby as a child * Ann Gillis as Isobel as a child * David Holt as Augustus as a child, a despised playmate * Harvey Stephens as Lieutenant Martin * Stanley Andrews as Maris * Harry Woods as Renoir, a Legionnaire deserter *

Arthur Aylesworth Arthur Preston Aylesworth (August 12, 1883 – June 26, 1946) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Aylesworth was born in Apponaug, Rhode Island, to a military family; his father and his grandfather graduated from the United ...

as Renault, another deserter * Henry Brandon as Renouf * Barry Macollum as Krenke * Ronald R. Rondell as Bugler

Production

The film is a virtual scene-for-scene remake of the 1926 silent version of the same title starring

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...

. This is probably the best known adaptation. It was filmed either near Yuma, Arizona, or on government owned land in California's Imperial Valley.

Release

The film was banned in parts of Canada out of respect for the French government. The film was banned by the

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

authorities in Mussolini's Italy on the grounds that it portrayed the British too positively, and it was feared that because Britain was a democracy the film would correspondingly serve to undermine fascist ideology. The 1935 movie '' The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'', also starring Gary Cooper, had been banned in Mussolini's Italy for the same reason. The film's copyright was renewed in 1966.

Reception

A contemporary '' New York Times'' reviewer felt that this film did not come up to the standards of the

1926 adaptation, writing that, "On the whole, it is perhaps an unfortunate thing for Beau Geste the Second that Beau Geste the First was so distinguished, for Mr. Wellman's film seems dominated by the tremendous shadow of its predecessor." One of the complaints was that the three British Geste brothers were all played by Americans. Nevertheless, the reviewer still called the production "a stirring piece of cinema". The film has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Award nominations

Brian Donlevy was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film.

References

External links

* * * Streaming audio
''Beau Geste''
on '' The Campbell Playhouse'': March 17, 1939
''Beau Geste''
on

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...

: June 6, 1948 {{Authority control 1939 films American adventure drama films American war drama films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s adventure drama films 1939 war films Films based on British novels Films based on military novels Films directed by William A. Wellman Remakes of American films Sound film remakes of silent films Films about the French Foreign Legion Paramount Pictures films Films scored by Alfred Newman Films set in deserts Siege films 1939 drama films Censored films Films about deserters 1930s American films